Managing Performance Well

Happy Saturday everyone! What a busy week it has been and I still recovering from my trip to Denver last week. Where I was able to catch my first ever MLB game, only missing sport I have not seen live is NBA.

In this week’s edition I want to look at how as a new / first time manager the importance of managing performance. This isn’t only important about ensuring the team deliver well but this plays a huge part in team dynamics.

I have coached and seen too many managers that get the basic items of performance badly wrong, it erodes trust within the team. And we all know how important that is in team work.

Let’s jump straight in…

What is performance management

Let’s start with some general overview of what performance management is. The theoretical definition of this is:

Not a great definition but overall performance management covers, very broadly, the following areas:

• Setting goals

• Defining team responsibilities

• Holding team accountable

• Providing feedback

• Dealing with poor performance

In today’s newsletter I want to be focussing in on managing poor performance.

Managing Performance Well

For a lot of the new managers I coach and work with I often lean into building systems around managing poor performance. I break this down into a structure that looks a little bit like this:

To often I see Managers not doing 1:1 or managing the above well and then complaining to HR team or their manager that the individual isn’t working or that performance is low. But then not want to do anything or make a decision.

Although when investigating with them the root cause of the performance issue what often comes out is:

• No goals have been set

• Expectations have not been communicated

• Roles and responsibilities have not been defined

If you don’t do the above this is not the employee problem, this is a manager problem. You need to take ownership of this and really lead them in what is expected, what good performance looks like and not to mention what their goals are.

Once this becomes clear it becomes a lot easier to move faster when performance does drop.

What do you do when performance is an issue?

If you do notice that performance does drop then you need to move fast to get on top of this. The longer you leave it the worse the problem becomes. What I notice when you leave working on performance issues too long is that you the manager become frustrated and then move them to a PIP once you are at the end of your tether with the individual. This means you are now at the point of I want them out the business not in the space of I want to help. If you move faster on the performance you will have more bandwidth to coach and mentor.

Here are some tips for new and first time Managers in dealing with performance issues:

1. Understanding the Root Cause

   • Is the issue skill-related, motivation-related, or related to external factors?

   • Gather all the facts before making any conclusions.

2. Setting Clear Expectations

   • Ensure the employee fully understands their responsibilities and performance standards.

   • Use SMART goals to clarify what success looks like.

3. Providing Constructive Feedback

   • Focus on specific behaviors, not personalities.

   • Use the SBI (Situation-Behavior-Impact) model to give actionable feedback.

4. Creating an Improvement Plan

   • Collaborate with the employee to create a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).

   • Set clear, achievable milestones and deadlines.

5. Offering Support and Resources

   • Identify training, mentoring, or tools the employee might need to improve.

   • Regularly check in to provide guidance and ensure progress.

6. Monitoring Progress

   • Schedule regular follow-ups to discuss progress, celebrate improvements, and address any ongoing issues.

   • Be consistent in tracking performance against the agreed-upon plan.

7. Addressing Continued Underperformance

   • Discuss the potential consequences if performance does not improve.

   • Be fair, consistent, and follow your organization's policies.

I always say use the PIP to fix the rhythms and skills of the employee, they should be used more frequently (in my view as a positive vs a negative) and a lot earlier in the process to help the employee build the right structures. This also enables you to move quicker when needing to exiting the employee.

PIP’s should be the last resort but used very quickly for underperformance, as long as you have followed the above points (1:1s, Check-ins, PDPs etc).

Guide for Performance

To summarise performance should be a daily thing for you as a manager, you need to be driving this consistently across the team and ensuring that their is clarity on:

• What good performance looks like

• The goals

• Your expectations

• What happens when performance does drop

One thing to highlight is that life does happen, people will move from top talent to core talent, things personally going on in their lives will impact how they work. As a Manager its your role to help from a work context but ensure they are focussed and doing the things they can and should be doing.

Top Tips For New Managers

• Stay Calm and Objective:

  • Approach the conversation with empathy and without personal bias.

• Be Specific and Honest:

  • Clearly outline the areas where performance is falling short and explain the impact on the team and business.

• Encourage Open Dialogue:

  • Ask for the employee’s perspective on the issue and listen carefully to their input.

• Focus on Solutions:

  • Work collaboratively with the employee to identify practical steps they can take to improve.

• Stay Supportive but Firm:

  • Offer encouragement, but make it clear that improvement is necessary for the team's success.

Book of the week

Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations, Broken Commitments, and Bad Behavior by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

This book provides actionable strategies for holding people accountable in a way that fosters improvement and positive relationships. It offers tools for addressing performance issues constructively, making it an ideal resource for new managers dealing with underperformance. It helps managers address difficult conversations and build a culture of accountability while maintaining trust and respect.

That’s a wrap for this week. I hope there are things that you can take away from this week’s edition and an opportunity to drive better performance.

PS If you have been enjoying my content I will be launching my ManagerOS course in the fall / autumn of 2024.

PPS I will be updating my First 90 days training course and re-launching in September.

PPPS Want a guide for PIPs DM me PIP on LinkedIn / X to get this.